How to Make Pad Thai

Ever wanted to make Pad Thai that’s as good as the Thai restaurant version? Having all the ingredients ready at hand, cooking in small batches plus achieving the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour flavors (and a little spice – if you like!) all help make the perfect Pad Thai. This recipe makes you achieve that! Now you can make the best Pad Thai in the comfort of your home!

Our cookbook – RICE. NOODLES. YUM. (Everyone’s Favorite Southeast Asian Dishes) is one year old today! It was published this day last year – June 11, 2019. It was truly one of the best milestones of my life. Today, I still cannot believe that I actually wrote and published a book! This was a dream come true, indeed. This is something I will forever be grateful to the Lord for.

To celebrate, I have decided to share one of my favorite recipes from the book. Our friends over at our Manila Spoon Facebook page also clamored for this particular recipe so I am acceding to their request. And what a good choice it is! After all, Pad Thai is super popular and probably one of the most celebrated and well-loved noodle dish all over the world.

But before we go to the recipe itself, I just want to say that if you haven’t gotten a copy of our cookbook yet, it’s still available for purchase. As of this writing, Amazon says there are only about 16 copies left! But it also says that more copies are on the way so have no fear! But why wait until it’s all gone, right?

And if you’re wondering what you can actually find in our cookbook, below is a video flip-through that will give you an idea of what yummy treasures you can make! There are 75 RECIPES all in all – everything in full color with each recipe accompanied with an image so you know what a dish would look like once you’re done cooking.

CHECK IT OUT BELOW!

Here’s what PUBLISHERS WEEKLY has to say about our book:

Manila Spoon blogger Raines delivers on her promise of flavorful dishes built around noodles and rice. Raines offers such popular standbys as pad Thai, pad see ew, pho, and fresh spring rolls, but offers plenty of surprises. There’s moo sarong, a visually impressive dish of fried pork meatballs wrapped in noodles; serabi, Indonesian coconut pancakes drizzled with a coconut caramel sauce (rice flour is the titular connection); and soto ayam, a rich and restorative chicken noodle soup with turmeric and ginger. Raines includes cultural mashups, such as beringhe, a Filipino riff on classic Spanish paella that incorporates turmeric, coconut milk, fish sauce, chorizo, and raisins; a craveable mee goreng mamak (egg noodles in a sweet and spicy sauce) from Kuala Lumpur; rice noodles with curried beef gravy (“the Asian version of the Italian classic spaghetti and meatballs”); and carioca, a Filipino treat of fried sticky rice balls in a coconut caramel sauce. Raines’s instructions are clear, and nearly all ingredients are easily sourced. This is an outstanding assembly of dishes, and a book sure to get plenty of use.” (June) Read the review here.

Below are some of the sites you can purchase the book from. I know with covid-19, it’s hard to simply buy books from our local bookstores but thankfully, we can still access them online.

GET BOOK HERE ➡️ Amazon > https://goo.gl/zk7XWX
Barnes & Noble > https://goo.gl/QYXWTz
Book-A-Million > https://goo.gl/QYQxGH
IndieBound – https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781624147715

With a variety of authentic popular fried rice dishes, noodle favorites like Pad Thai, Pansit, Pho Bo, Mie Goreng and so much more, plus the yummiest street food and sweet treats – this cookbook has a recipe for everyone! It’s like traveling to South East Asia without having to leave home.

Just some photos from my cooking class in Thailand, which I attended when I was researching for the book. I was actually learning how to cook Pad Thai here!

Making the egg that usually goes on top of Pad Thai. It can also be simply added while cooking Pad Thai like in the recipe below.

Enjoy your homemade Pad Thai soon!

How to Make the Best Pad Thai

Manila Spoon
Ever wanted to make Pad Thai that's as good as the Thai restaurant version? Having all the ingredients ready at hand, cooking in small batches plus achieving the perfect balance of salty, sweet,  and sour flavors (and a little spice – if you like!) all help make the perfect Pad Thai. This recipe helps you do all that! Now you can have the perfect and authentic Pad Thai in the comfort of your home!
5 from 19 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Asian Cuisine, Southeast Asian, Thailand
Servings 4

Ingredients
 

  • 6 oz dried Thai rice noodles, medium size
  • 4 tbsp white sugar,
  • 3 tbsp tamarind paste or sauce, (see Note)
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar  
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp hot chili sauce (like Sriracha), optional
  • ½ tsp chili powder, optional
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil of choice, divided
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp large dried shrimp
  • 12-14 raw large prawns or shrimps, peeled and deveined
  • ½ cup pressed or fried tofu, cubed
  • 2 tbsp pickled white radish, minced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup bean sprouts, plus extra for topping
  • ½ Chinese chives or about 4–6 stalks, sliced into 1-inch (2.5-cm) lengths plus a few extra for garnish ½
  • Limes, quartered, for garnish
  • Chili flakes, for garnish
  • Sugar, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Soak the dried noodles in room temperature water for 30 to 45 minutes. Noodles are soft when you can wrap a strand around your finger. Drain and set aside.
  • Combine the sugar, tamarind paste, rice vinegar, fish sauce, hot chili sauce (if using), and chili powder. Mix well and set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the oil over medium–high heat then fry the garlic and shallots until aromatic. Increase the heat to high then add the dried shrimp, fresh prawns and tofu and cook for about 1 minute. Add the noodles and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft. Stir the noodles ina circular motion using the corner edge of the spatula. This will ensure the noodles won't tear. Add the pickled radish and the seasoning sauce and toss the mixture to absorb the sauce. Cook for another minute or until the mixture is nearly dry.
  • Push all the ingredients to one side, add the remaining1 tablespoon (15 ml) of oil and crack the eggs in. Allow the eggs to set briefly for a few seconds, scramble then mix with the noodles. Add the beans sprouts, chives and chopped peanuts. Fold quickly to mix everything. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately with a lime wedge, extra crushed nuts, chili flakes and a little sugar on the side.

Notes

 
NOTES: Tamarind paste or sauce may be purchased at any Asian store or online. Brands vary in taste in terms of intensity and concentration and some may be darker in color than others so this may affect how much you need to use for your Pad Thai sauce. If using the darker tamarind concentrate, use about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) and omit the rice vinegar. Taste the sauce and adjust the amount according to your preference. The Pad Thai sauce should be a good balance of sour, sweet, salty with a little spicy kick if you like.
Keyword chicken pad thai, easy pad thai recipe, pad thai, rice noodles stir-fry, shrimp pad thai recipe, street pad thai recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Last updated on January 7th, 2023 at 08:43 pm

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23 Comments

  1. Nellie Tracy
    June 12, 2020 / 10:23 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is so easy and Pad Thai at home is even better than eating out!

  2. Renee Goerger
    June 13, 2020 / 9:35 am

    5 stars
    This is a delicious recipe for pad Thai! It’s a favorite in our home!

  3. Beth
    June 13, 2020 / 10:06 am

    5 stars
    We love how simple this is. And even more flavorful than our favorite Thai restaurant! Thanks for a great recipe. We’ll be making this again soon!

  4. Priya
    June 13, 2020 / 10:15 am

    5 stars
    OMG! This pad thai looks so good! Glad you shared a detailed recipe.

  5. Lisalia
    June 13, 2020 / 11:26 am

    This looks SO good I swear I can almost taste it through my computer screen! Can’t wait to try it!

  6. Biana
    June 13, 2020 / 12:04 pm

    5 stars
    This Pad Thai looks amazing, one of my favorites to order at the restaurant! Thank you for the recipe, now I can make it myself.

  7. Cate
    June 13, 2020 / 12:05 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, this looks so delicious! Love pad thai and can’t wait to try this version, thanks for sharing!

  8. Jersey Girl Cooks
    June 13, 2020 / 12:59 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe! I love making pad thai at home!

  9. Stine Mari
    June 17, 2020 / 8:14 am

    5 stars
    I am totally going to make this really soon. Takes me back to a great vacation I had in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam! Yum!

  10. Taleen
    June 17, 2020 / 2:03 pm

    This looks delicious! I’ve never tried to make Pad Thai at home, but I will seriously have to try this now!

  11. Lesli Schwartz
    June 17, 2020 / 3:25 pm

    5 stars
    Pad Thai could not be easier! Most people don’t realize that, so thank you for this post breaking it down. Love it, and so yummy!

  12. Jere Cassidy
    June 17, 2020 / 4:19 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this Pad Thai recipe, I love learning how to make food from other countries and this was a real hit with the family.

  13. sapana
    June 19, 2020 / 11:07 am

    5 stars
    Omg the pad thai looks absolutely delicious. Love all the beautiful colors and flavors going in there.

  14. Marta
    June 19, 2020 / 11:54 am

    5 stars
    I love to eat pad thai when it’s cold- like straight from the fridge. It tastes so much better to me that way, LOL!

  15. Ramona
    June 19, 2020 / 4:34 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing! I never tried pad thai at home and I love them. Always order them whenever I go out to our local Thai restaurant which I now miss so much after so many months of closures. I cannot wait to give a try and make it myself whenever I fancy it. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe.

  16. Renu
    June 20, 2020 / 1:50 pm

    5 stars
    The pad thai looks amazing and wonderfully plated as well. Thanks for the detailed recipe, I want to try some soon.

  17. Kari
    June 20, 2020 / 3:57 pm

    5 stars
    I am so happy I discovered you! I consider myself an honorary Kabayan. I love Filipino food and my lovely friends from the Philippines. Your images are stunning! Will be subscribing!

  18. Diana
    June 20, 2020 / 7:49 pm

    Yum, I have always wanted a good pad thai recipe to add to my meal rotation. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.

  19. Emily
    June 20, 2020 / 9:09 pm

    5 stars
    Such a wonderful weeknight meal! I’ve been trying to cook with shrimp more lately and this hits the spot!

  20. Jar of Lemons
    June 20, 2020 / 9:30 pm

    5 stars
    I love Pad Thai but have never tried to make it at home. I’m so thankful for this recipe! Your instructions make it look super simple!

  21. Joyce
    June 20, 2020 / 10:30 pm

    Pad Thai is one of my fav dishes to make at home! A great example of how take-out food can be easy to make at home!

  22. Jacqui DeBono
    June 21, 2020 / 3:44 pm

    5 stars
    Pad Thai is my all-time favourite noodle dish! I have some daikon radish in the garden, cannot wait to pickle it. It will be perfect with these noodles!

  23. Lathiya
    June 23, 2020 / 4:26 pm

    5 stars
    I have had Pad thai in restaurants but never tried to make it at home. Thank you for sharing, now I can try my favorite pad thai at home.

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